Campinggeschirr mit ihren unterschiedlichen Materialien von Melamin, Emaille, Bambus und vieles mehr.

What different materials are there for camping dishes?

Posted by Rebecca Andresen on

With a new motorhome or caravan, the question naturally arises as to which suitable camping equipment should be included in your beloved camper.


A few years ago, the selection was still very limited and everything was limited to enamel camping dishes or melamine camping dishes.


There is now a large selection of different brands, which do not necessarily come from the camping segment, but nevertheless produce very stylish camping dishes .


This blog article basically deals with the question of which different materials there are for camping dishes .

Camping tableware made of melamine

The most well-known camping crockery is made of melamine. Even though we already have a very detailed blog post about the harmful substances in melamine , it is still one of the most purchased camping crockery .


It is very light, easy to transport and shatterproof. At first glance, it looks very similar to ceramic. In addition, the large selection on the camping market means that the choice of different designs is very large and inexpensive. And they often come in great, different camping tableware sets .


Nevertheless, the issue of harmful substances should be in the foreground and many families are more concerned with the topic of “toxic-free camping dishes” .


Here you can find our overview of harmful substances in camping dishes , which unfortunately also includes the content of melamine:

Enamel camping dishes

When it comes to an alternative to melamine, most people turn to enamel as their first choice.


Enamel as camping cookware has many advantages, but it is not without disadvantages. However, the disadvantages are not significant and it can definitely be said that enamel is one of the most sustainable camping cookware.

Enamel as a pollutant-free alternative to melamine camping dishes

Advantages of enamel

The advantages are definitely very convincing, since enamel is basically part of the pollutant-free camping dishes and you no longer have to deal with the issue.


In addition, enamel has been used as a material for several centuries and is therefore well-tested. Enamel is considered to be food-safe and, above all, hygienic . Even high temperatures do not affect enamel and no harmful substances are released, as is the case with melamine.

Disadvantages of enamel

The thermal conductivity of enamel is very high and so a hot cup of coffee or tea in an enamel mug can get very hot. The handles of the enamel mugs can heat up to almost 50°C and hot dishes or drinks can quickly become dangerous for children.


One point that cannot be projected onto every enamel dish is the material underneath the enamel. The dish is only provided with an enamelled surface and other materials are hidden underneath. In the best case, there is stainless steel underneath and it does not rust. But that depends on the manufacturer, as other materials can also be hidden underneath.


However, the design of the enamel camping dishes is very one-sided and offers little choice. If it falls down, a corner quickly breaks off and is very noticeable.


Often the biggest criticism of enamel is that the dishes are reminiscent of Boy Scouts. But as we all know, taste is subjective. From a health perspective, however, it is still highly recommended.

Tips & Tricks: Do not clean enamel camping dishes with scouring powder or rough steel sponges, as these can scratch the surface of the dishes. It is best to simply use a soft cloth and warm water to clean enamel.

Camping dishes made of polypropylene

Polypropylene is a thermoplastic. Also simplified as PP, polypropylene is not to be confused with PE, which stands for polyethylene. In contrast to PE, polypropylene is more rigid and hard. PE is one of the most commonly used plastics in the world and is used, among other things, for the production of plastic bottles, films and bags.


The stronger polypropylene is therefore more suitable for use in camping dishes . In addition to camping dishes, polypropylene is also often used for:

  • Furniture
  • Automotive industry
  • Yoghurt cup
  • Straws
  • Reusable containers such as thermal boxes
  • Child seats
  • Bicycle helmets
  • Containers for acids and alkalis
  • Sports & outdoor clothing
  • Internal parts of a dishwasher

In contrast to PE, polypropylene can withstand temperatures of up to +140° for short periods and is also food-safe. In addition, polypropylene is free from hormonally active substances such as BPA and free from plasticizers. This is particularly reassuring for consumption, because alkalis and acids do not affect polypropylene and the material does not oxidize when it comes into contact with them.


And unlike melamine, camping dishes made of polypropylene can be used for hot filling of drinks and can even be hot sterilized.

Is polypropylene sustainable?

Yes, and that makes it a great sustainable alternative to melamine camping tableware.


Since polypropylene is very durable and designed for long-term use, camping equipment does not need to be constantly replaced like other materials. In addition, it is much more environmentally friendly than other plastics, since polypropylene hardly produces any pollutants in nature and therefore does not harm the groundwater or the environment.

Polypropylene is also known as a sustainable plastic because it is an excellent recyclable material and can be melted down and processed into new products as often as desired. These properties are identified by the recycling code 05.

recyclable material: polypropylene in camping dishes

Of course, it is a plastic and if it is not disposed of properly, microplastics can enter the environment through UV decomposition. However, it should also be noted that polypropylene is so easy to recycle that the production of new products using recycled polypropylene requires significantly less energy than the production of new plastic.

Koziol camping dishes are made from natural cellulose but are classified as thermoplastic. How does this fit together?

Anyone who has already looked at Koziol camping dishes will have come across the term natural cellulose. In some other blogs, however, the material is referred to as thermoplastic.


Yes, that fits together. Why? Because plastics are made from materials such as cellulose, coal, natural gas, salt and petroleum using a specific process. This means that the origin of the plastic in this case is natural cellulose.

Camping dishes made of Tritan

Never heard of it? We only came across the material Tritan during our research and please do not confuse it with titanium, as there are also a lot of these in the outdoor sector.


Tritan has very similar properties to polypropylene and is free of plasticizers and BPA, food-safe, heat-resistant and shatter-proof. Tritan copolyester is also a thermoplastic and was only developed in 2007 by the US company Eastman Chemicals.


We haven't actually been able to find any camping dishes made of Tritan yet. But since there are already drinking bottles for outdoor use and baby bottles made of Tritan, it's probably only a matter of time before the first manufacturers start using the innovative material Tritan.


The only disadvantage of Tritan is its low resistance to UV radiation. Tritan copolyester is therefore not suitable for long-term exposure to the sun, as it would otherwise become brittle and fragile. So there is nothing to stop you from having lunch in the sun or drinking coffee in front of your camper.


We are excited and will stay tuned.

Camping tableware made from bioplastic (PLA)

In addition to enamel, polypropylene or melamine, bioplastics are also available as camping dishes. The brands chicmic , ajaa! and Zuperzozial in particular rely on bioplastics in camping dishes. The basis for this is often renewable raw materials such as sugar cane, palm leaves, bamboo or corn.


In the worst case, there are products in which the manufacturer mixes the natural raw material with melamine resins as a filler. Therefore, attention must be paid here and one must pay close attention to the composition.

But there are also very promising processes like chicmic that rely on renewable raw materials such as corn starch, cassava or sugar cane. The sugar from the plants is fermented and distilled. The process then produces lactic acid, which is then added with talcum powder in the later process. After crystallization, the heat-resistant material PLA is created. The entire process does not use any artificial additives such as BPA or melamine.

Chicmic and Koziol camping tableware for the beautiful camping table

Camping dishes made of Resylin

In fact, researching Resylin turned out to be very difficult. The information that was available was mostly only from the manufacturers of Resylin products or retailers who sell such camping equipment.


There were neither scientific studies nor recommendations from the consumer advice center or other independent institutions.


Resylin has often been equated with ABS plastic. However, upon closer research, ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) appears to be only the basis for Resylin. However, it is unclear what the final product is made of.


Resylin is said to be very similar to melamine, except for its higher heat resistance. Instead of the 70 degrees that melamine can withstand, Resylin can withstand a heat of 90 degrees, but it is not dishwasher or microwave safe. No reason is given for this and since there are no scientific studies, it is likely that formaldehyde can escape at too high a heat, as is the case with melamine.


Resylin is also said to be BPA free and food safe.


As already mentioned, the research on Resylin was very limited and we do not want to commit ourselves to any content here due to the very thin data available.

Stainless steel camping dishes

The properties of stainless steel are very heat-resistant, so you can put it on the gas stove or in an open fire without any worries. It is also very easy to clean and the stainless steel camping dishes do not rust.

The material is very robust, which is why it is particularly popular with outdoor enthusiasts. The camping dishes can be easily stowed in a backpack without having to worry about breakage or damage. This is why stainless steel camping dishes are mainly used by the German army.

This is also one of the few disadvantages of stainless steel: the design selection is very limited and it quickly takes on the look of a German army or boy scout.

Stainless steel cups for traveling in a motorhome

Camping dishes made of PBT fiber-reinforced plastic

A very rare term in the camping industry and yet there are also kitchen utensils made of PBT plastic.


PBT stands for polybutylene terephthalate, is also a thermoplastic and belongs to the polyester family. It is very similar to PET in terms of chemical structure and properties, but the basic material is less solid and stiff than PET. However, as with many plastics, additives can be added during the manufacturing process to create increased rigidity or strength, for example.


The fiber-reinforced PBT plastic has an increased heat resistance of up to 200 degrees due to the additional process, is dishwasher-safe, microwave-safe and robust.


PBT plastic is often found in cooking appliances such as egg cookers, coffee machines, toasters, but also hair dryers and vacuum cleaners.


So far we have only been able to locate one manufacturer that produces camping dishes with PBT plastic .


Since we have neither test reports nor statements from the consumer advice center, we are still cautious about using PBT plastic camping dishes.

Camping tableware made of opal glass

Opal glass sounds misleading at first because it makes you think of fragile camping dishes made of glass. In fact, opal glass is incredibly robust and lightweight tableware. It originated in America and is only slowly finding buyers in Germany.


In order to produce particularly durable camping dishes, the opal glass is made of a special glass laminate in which three layers are put together under heat and pressure. Basically, it is a white jade glass, which has glass ceramic with a high level of stability.

Opal glass as lightweight and shatterproof camping tableware

This means that opal glass is much more robust than ordinary ceramic and is therefore often used by children or in retirement homes.


The camping dishes made of opal glass are therefore ideal for travelling in a motorhome. They are also food-safe, dishwasher-safe and microwave-safe. They are free from harmful substances and should be treated like porcelain dishes.


Of course, it is still not plastic and even shatterproof opal glass has its limits. If you throw it on stony ground or drive over gravel roads for a long time, cracks can appear in the opal glass and eventually break.

Conventional tableware is twice or three times as thick as opal glass, so it can definitely convince in terms of weight.

Camping dishes made of bamboo

Until recently, bamboo tableware had a very good reputation and if you wanted to switch to sustainable camping tableware, it was usually the first choice.

It is often used for children's tableware and is touted as the sustainable alternative for coffee-to-go cups.

The Federal Office for Risk Assessment even judges bamboo tableware to be harmful to health and even wants to ban retailers from selling bamboo tableware. This is not about the bamboo fibers themselves, but rather about the melamine associated with them. Bamboo tableware is not made entirely of natural materials - in this case bamboo - but can sometimes contain up to 70% of the filler melamine-formaldehyde resin.

Studies have clearly shown that the transfer of melamine and formaldehyde from bamboo tableware to food is higher than even conventional melamine tableware.

You can read exactly what the harmful substances in camping equipment mean here.

"Following the example of other countries such as Switzerland but also Austria, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg, France has decided to ban these products from the market."

French Directorate General for Competition, Consumer Protection and Fraud Control (DGCCRF)

For more details and how bamboo tableware is constructed, see our separate blog article.

We therefore advise against using bamboo dishes for camping, as contact with hot food is almost unavoidable.

Camping dishes made of aluminum

Both stainless steel and aluminum are often the camping equipment of choice among backpackers. After all, it is very light and easy to transport. However, aluminum is also often criticized for being harmful to health.


But what is behind it?


Aluminum is generally absorbed in small, harmless amounts through food and drinks. It is only when the limit values ​​are exceeded that it can cause damage to the nervous system.


This means any uncoated aluminum, such as aluminum foil, can lead to increased aluminum absorption.


According to the consumer advice center, it is clearly advisable to switch from aluminum to stainless steel camping equipment.


If you still don't want to do without aluminum, you can play it safe and use coated aluminum. Many pots and pans for camping kitchens are made of aluminum and come with an extra coating.

Do not cut on aluminum. Scratches in the coating can cause aluminum to migrate into the food.

Avoid vinegar or fruit on aluminum surfaces.

Experience report with the Omnia oven (material made of aluminum)

During our camping trip in Lofer (Austria) we made stuffed peppers in tomato sauce in our Omnia oven . Afterwards, the surface of our Omnia dish was completely damaged.


To be on the safe side, please use either the silicone mold for such dishes or use the coated additional mold !

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